eYada No More

On Monday, streaming talk provider eYada (www.eyada.com) announced that it was closing down at the end of the day. According to an e-mail sent to eYada listeners, the company blamed an "unfortunate confluence of factors" for its shutdown.

The e-mail read in part: "We know in our hearts that if we were able to make it through these very difficult economic times, we were going to be huge. But alas, it was not to be — this time."

eYada has gone through some difficult times, suffering through a round of layoffs earlier this year. The company launched in 1999 and featured a wide range of celebrities hosting its daily Internet talk shows. The company previously said that it had 130 hours a week of programming, on topics like sex, sports and gossip. Some of the celebrity hosts include Lionel, Johnny Rotten, Kim Alexis and more. Since the company's earlier layoffs, it has had to cut down on shows and dropped the number of its hosts.

CEO Bob Meyrowitz came from traditional radio, as a creator of the King Biscuit Flower Hour, along with serving as a producer for HBO specials and pay-per-view events. In an interview with streamingmedia.com last year, Meyrowitz spoke about how he was sticking to the talk radio format.

In March 2000, eYada secured $25 million from Chase Capital Partners, Time Warner, Boston Millennia Partners and Credit Suisse First Boston. But apparently the revenue, in the form of advertising, was difficult to come by. Although the company's Web site is still up, there are no live talk shows, just archives.

Calls to eYada were not returned as of press time.